With the 2022 season for the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship just around the corner, Garrett Gerloff (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) was recently back on track at a two-day Aragon test. During that test, his first time on track in the 2022 off-season, he sat down to discuss preparing physically and mentally for the upcoming season and in part two of the interview he discusses having the speed to win, being supported by Yamaha and more.

ON WINNING A RACE IN 2022…

Gerloff is about to embark on his third campaign in WorldSBK after joining the Championship in 2020; a rookie season that was heavily disrupted by the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The American rider has so far claimed five podium finishes in WorldSBK but is yet to taste victory in the Championship.

“Damn right I can win a race!”, Gerloff replied emphatically when asked about winning in 2022. “All the pieces have got to come together. I know I’ve got the pace to do it but having the pace to do it and actually putting it together and doing it, a lot more things go into it. I feel fast enough, I know I’m fast enough, just got to have the right race come together but I want to make it happen.”

THE NEXT AMERICAN CHAMPION?

American riders have claimed nine World Titles in WorldSBK’s history with Fred Merkel (1988, 1989), Doug Polen (1991, 1992), Scott Russell (1993), John Kocinski (1997), Colin Edwards (2000, 2002) and Ben Spies (2009). In December, Spies spoke about the potential that Gerloff has and said, “I do see that if things happen the right way, he can win a WorldSBK title”.

Gerloff responded when these comments were put to him during the test, and he said: “I don’t think he’s wrong! Like I said, it’s those damn puzzle pieces. They get scattered sometimes and trying to put them together quickly is a bit of a challenge. I know I’ve got all the pieces there so just trying to make the pretty picture at the end. It would be amazing. I definitely want to follow in Ben’s footsteps, Nicky Hayden’s to a certain extent, Collin Edwards, Kevin Schwantz, Wayne Rainey… there’s so many guys that have come over here and had a lot of success and I’d like to add my name to that list on some level.”

HAVING YAMAHA SUPPORT AT GRT YAMAHA

Although Gerloff does not race for the factory Yamaha squad, he does receive factory support from the Japanese manufacturer along with his team. At the Aragon test, Gerloff was able to try the same fuel tank and subframe that Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) tested at Portimao a couple of weeks prior, showing the level of support Gerloff has.

Discussing Yamaha’s support, and being with GRT Yamaha, Gerloff said: “I’m on the same bike as Toprak and a tonne of support from Yamaha. They’re really showing how much they’re supporting me which is great. Obviously, I’m back with the GRT team and they’re just as good as they’ve always been. Everybody’s here with a smile on their face, ready to get back to work and I like that energy a lot; I’m the same way! I feel like we’re all on a really good page to start this chapter. GRT are like my second or third family over here! They’ve always had my back and always supported me, and I’ve never had any issues, knock on wood, with any of the work they’ve done. I think that’s one of the most important things is the passion they have for it, they want results just as badly as I do and so I don’t really feel like I’m lacking anything, especially with the support from Yamaha coming in directly to us. I feel like I’m in a good spot and I don’t feel like I’m lacking any of the puzzle pieces that I need. Just got to put them all in order to where it makes the picture!”

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